Intrinsic motivation is hard to find, but it’s harder to forget once you know your “why,” the reason that justifies your existence.
It’s the song of the siren that gets louder with each attempt to ignore it; no matter how hard you avoid it, you’ll fall for it sooner or later.
That’s the case with intrinsic motivation. Once you find it, it’s hard to ignore. It might end up becoming the only thing you care about; it’s an obsessive force that guides you to your ambitions.
But sometimes it gets too loud and fades everything else, which leads to massive burnout and needless existential crisis that makes you want to question every decision you ever made.
But the only thing that brings you back to the surface is following your intrinsic motivation, no matter how mentally draining it feels.
A cocktail of deep rest and god’s honest work will give you a dose of creativity that can lead to better creativity and more high-quality work.
But before that, you need to understand what diminishes intrinsic motivation.
Here are the four patterns that I actively pursued that hampered my motivation and creativity.
Forcing myself to focus wrecked my daydreaming
Scheduling is one of the best ideas humanity has ever had. Work patterns enable you to get in the flow easily without much distraction.
This pre-established pattern doesn’t always lead to guaranteed results. Sometimes the work demands easement and spontaneity.
Following a rigid schedule doesn’t leave much time for exploring your imagination. Creativity comes after you start a project, but you need to leave pockets of unscheduled periods to harness it better.
Forcing yourself to work will hamper your creativity and prevent you from daydreaming, which is essential for the creative process. Thought experiments lead you into an imaginary world that can become the gateway for your next brilliant idea.
Einstein made breakthrough discoveries in physics owing to gedankenexperiments or thought experiments.
The theory of relativity happened because Einstein imagined a house painter falling off the roof to imagine how he would experience gravity.
Work schedules are necessary to get things done but you need to have little pockets of free time in between where you can run your brain however you please in any direction.
I have a work schedule, but following the same pattern over the years has pushed me to burnout. Small, spontaneous actions that defy your routine can have a big impact on your productivity.
So, rather than locking yourself into a pre-determined routine, be more spontaneous and give your brain a chance to consider things from a new perspective.
Here’s what you can do:-
- Spontaneous walks are the best solution to break out of the creative block. A distraction-free walk is the best way to come up with better ideas.
- Shake things up, and not just on weekends. Take time off to connect with friends and family. Your creative work will thrive once you start to live.
- Schedule daydreaming in advance. It seems paradoxical but you’ll get used to the idle time window eventually.
Procrastination is the force that powers creativity
Schedules are pre-requisitive for the flow state. I have tried out everything under the sun to make the flow state automatic but there are no shortcuts.
You need to sit down and do the work for as long as it takes you to get into that focused state. You can’t fast-forward through initial boredom, which is a major reason for procrastination.
We put off a task forever to avoid boredom and the effort it takes to get into a focused state of mind that’s why procrastination is hailed as a bad habit.
However, productive procrastination can do wonders for your creativity. It can ignite the lost spark that causes horrific writer's block.
Artists need to immerse themselves in art to create good work; that’s why art is our salvation. We become artists because we fall in love with someone else’s work.
And it’s not justified to ignore the work that got us into the game. So, respect the game and devour the work of great artists who inspired you to become an artist.
Reading used to be my number one flow state hack, but it became a distraction, so I saved it for after-work leisure. Eliminating this activity from my schedule led to pesky writer's block.
Reading wasn’t a distraction. The content was; I switched back to short stories and blog posts from random subreddits to claim my focus back.
So, don’t be afraid to nerd out on your favorite artists. You’re an amalgamation of their work, and the more you read, the better you can write.
Here’s what you can do:-
- Creative hobbies that fuel the soul will lead to high-quality work that you’ll proudly put your name on.
- Read more if you’re a writer, listen to more diverse music if you’re a singer, and study the art created by legendary artists if you’re an artist.
- Avoid wasteful procrastination that leads you down some random rabbit hole on the internet; instead, study the greats to imitate their work.
A morning routine is more about ignoring habits
Morning routines are the easiest way to get into flow states. A few simple habits can dump you straight into a great workflow.
I have tried my fair share of morning routine only to discover that what you do in the first thirty minutes is not as important as what you don’t do.
You need to develop a strong self-restraint that protects you from corrosive habits that can affect your mental health and ruin productivity.
A morning routine will polish your mental reserves, which makes most days bearable, but making bad choices in the first hour of the morning will decrease your probability of having a productive day to the minimum.
So, focus more on the habits you should avoid than the ones you adopt. Exercise, healthy breakfast, reading, and journalling are all good morning habits.
There’s no shortage of morning routine habits you can follow for better health and productivity, but it’s more important to avoid silent productivity killers.
Moreover, create a better evening routine that leads to peaceful sleep that enables you to follow a good morning routine sans laziness.
A good night's sleep is a prerequisite for better quality work that will make you feel fulfilled.
Here’s what you can do:-
- Form an evening routine with journalling, dimmed lights, and soothing tea to knock yourself out cold. A good night's sleep is essential for a good morning routine.
- Pick three habits that you can do every morning within 20 minutes. My routine includes journalling, breathwork, and a short walk.
- Be mindful to avoid the bad habits that your monkey mind wants you to do, including but not limited to checking social media, news, and gossip.
Sit still and work might not be the best advice
Popular productivity gurus will advise you to park your behind on the desk for hours till you come up with something salvageable.
Following the same schedule day in and day out can become boring, but it’s necessary to produce good-quality work.
But we neglect the easiest initiator of the flow state because of this advice.
You get the best idea when you’re in motion. It’s a tried and tested theory that has proven true 90% of the time.
I have written while traveling on a plane, train, bus, or car, most writing was bearable. Moreover, a simple leisure walk can open the gates of creativity.
It’s my go-to solution whenever I am stuck creatively I believe the right answer is just one walk away.
But this phenomenon is more detectable on a plane. It’s not because you’re fighting the forces of gravity but because you’re cut off from the world. You entertain yourself with creative thoughts to fight off boredom.
Being disconnected from the world is daunting in this age, but small windows of disconnection can lead to great quality work.
But it’s getting harder and harder to find the time to disconnect from the world. We’re more dependent on entertainment than ever. The ever-trending column has made us slaves to cheap dopamine.
Here’s what you can do:-
- Pre-plan an hour of distraction-free work by putting your phone on airplane mode and avoiding social media.
- Try to work without the internet on your creative pursuits. It would take some time to detach yourself from the world, but it’ll help you find your inner solitude.
- Move your body when you feel stuck creatively. Go for a walk, run, or drive if you’re feeling particularly explorative.
Conclusion
Your inner motivation is abundant but you’ll need to work to discover it. But once you make this discovery your life will become effortless.
The laziness that plagues you occasionally can’t touch your motivation, but following habits blindly without questioning their overall effect can dim your intrinsic motivation.
These habits are acclaimed all over the world, but they didn’t help me develop a better productivity schedule. So, try out the habits before you commit to them completely.